as in winds
an air movement that is blowing toward something (such as a ship or an airplane) as it moves forward
Stiff headwinds caused the flight to take longer than expected.
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Recent Examples of headwinds
At the time, Chapter 11 documents filed on behalf of McGrath stated that despite the strength of the brand, Pat McGrath Labs faced growing financial headwinds in early 2025 including liquidity constraints.
—
Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
Third, that comparison to peers ignores the fact that Isom has had to navigate unique idiosyncratic headwinds that no CEO could have prevented and which none of American’s competitors had to deal with.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2026
But a series of headwinds, including a recent blunder over see-through leggings, is threatening the company's path forward.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
And those connections could prove significant in Connecticut, a state where manufacturing has long been a major economic driver, albeit one that has faced recent headwinds.
—P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
That underlined how Mattel and other toy makers face consumer spending headwinds and tariff disruption to their supply chains.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 10 Feb. 2026
Funding the Time Lord No decision more neatly demonstrates the nasty headwinds facing scripted than Disney pulling out of the Doctor Who deal with the BBC, BBC Studios and Bad Wolf after just two seasons.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
More recently, national and state politics have produced stronger headwinds for events like GayDays.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Sony’s hardware business is expected to face headwinds this year from rising component costs.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
Third, that comparison to peers ignores the fact that Isom has had to navigate unique idiosyncratic headwinds that no CEO could have prevented and which none of American’s competitors had to deal with.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2026
But a series of headwinds, including a recent blunder over see-through leggings, is threatening the company's path forward.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
And those connections could prove significant in Connecticut, a state where manufacturing has long been a major economic driver, albeit one that has faced recent headwinds.
—P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
That underlined how Mattel and other toy makers face consumer spending headwinds and tariff disruption to their supply chains.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 10 Feb. 2026
Funding the Time Lord No decision more neatly demonstrates the nasty headwinds facing scripted than Disney pulling out of the Doctor Who deal with the BBC, BBC Studios and Bad Wolf after just two seasons.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
More recently, national and state politics have produced stronger headwinds for events like GayDays.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Sony’s hardware business is expected to face headwinds this year from rising component costs.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwinds
winds
Noun
-
At one point, winds were gusting 50-55 mph along a line that stretched from Poway to Point Loma, drawing an alert from the National Weather Service.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Gusty winds, low elevation rain, and mountain snow are forecast for the region.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headwinds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwinds. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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